Kingdomme Come
by Double Rose
Summary: Based off of Walt Disney World Theme Parks. The year is 1995. The year Animal Kingdom opens. However, something was missing. The land that should have been but never was. And only a few select Imagineers knew just why...until now, that is.
1. Kingdomme Come prologue

This story is based on actual items and plans for Animal Kingdom. However, the little conspiracy theory is purely fiction…as far as I know…anyway, the disclaimer. Ahem…I do not own anything by Disney, not even a stock share. I found out about these plans by researching it at many different sites, and I know every inch of the parks, but I have no real affiliation with Disney (well, until I become an Imagineer there, that is).

The air was cold, much colder than Orlando usually in. A man stepped out from the shadows of Main Street to meet another on the sidewalk, next to Goofy's candy shoppe.

"Roy," he said, making the man flinch.

"Oh, it's just you Matthew," he said nervously.

"Look, I know why you called me out here today," the man said seriously. "And the answer is no, Roy. I'm not going to stay quiet about this-"

"I never asked you to do that," he said quietly. "I only wanted to warn you." Matthew's eyes narrowed.

"Warn me about what, Roy?" he asked cautiously.

"Get your family out, Matthew. Out of the business, out of this city. Hell, you might need to get out of the country, after what's happened." Matthew paused.

"You might be right, Roy…"

"I know I'm right, Matthew. They've already been asking me about the situation, and are watching me and my house. Do you know how hard it was to sneak out to the park to tell you this?"

"I can only guess. And I'll take it under consideration, Roy. But I'm not going to run away at the first sight of trouble."

"But Matthew-"

"I'll see you later, Roy. Don't worry about us," he said, walking down the road to the park entrance. "_Because you don't know what should really be worrying everyone._"

_fourteen years later_

"This is NOT the right color!" A toddler screamed to Alison's face. "I wanted the BLUE balloon!!!"

"We're out of blue balloons, sweetie," Alison said through gritted teeth. "Miss, can you please explain to your daughter-"

"Hmph," the mother scoffed. "And I thought this place was supposed to fulfill children's dreams! This place is shabbier than I remember." With that, she walked away with her complaining child in tow. Alison grimaced and tied the red balloon she had offered the girl back to the bunch.

"Sure, mom, I'll get a job," She muttered. "Cast member at Animal Kingdom? Sure. They let fourteen-year-olds apply. Probably because older people would cuss out those stupid little brats!"

"Hey, your shift is over," a girl said from behind her. "Tough day so far?"

"Unbelievably," Alison shuddered. "Thanks for coming on time, Raquel."

"No prob," she smiled. "Now get out of that polyester disaster they call a uniform and go home."

"You don't have to tell me twice," she said, walking away with a wave. This was life for Alison. School, then off to work until six, then home to homework, a bossy mother, and sleep, with maybe a few minutes of her flute put in. Subtract the work, and that had been her life so far. As she walked into the locker room, she reminisced the past year. At first she had been happy to get some work, especially at Disney. But after a lengthy waiting process and an even longer training session, she had wondered if it had been worth it. Now she was sure. It sucked.

"_Strange how something you want is completely different than you thought_," Alison thought bitterly as she threw her khaki uniform in her tiny staff locker. She slid on her black tee and blue jeans, grabbed her backpack, and walked out the door. The lockers were close to the Rainforest Café, which meant the exit wasn't far either. She had already told Rodney when to pick her up, so she knew he would be out near the entrance when she left.

"What is that?" she heard a girl ask from behind her as she walked out.

"Maybe a crocodile, Annie," the mother replied. "But I can't tell for sure." Alison swung her head around, confused. The only place with crocodiles in the park was the Kilimanjaro Safari.

"It looks like a dragon," the girl said.

"Don't be silly dear, this place only has animals that exist," the mother chuckled. "Now, let's go see Mickey in his little safari suit!"

"Yay!" she shrieked. Alison rolled her eyes and began to leave, but hesitated. She waited for the two to leave and walked over to the river mouth. She had never noticed before, but sure enough, there was some sort of animal that had been shaped by the rocks. Water was streaming out of its mouth.

"Well, that's an interesting addition," she laughed lightly. "It really is a crocodile." Suddenly, she heard the catchy tune of her cell ringing. "Hello?"

"I thought your shift ended fifteen minutes ago," Rodney's annoyed voice crackled through the bad reception of the park.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the Oasis walkway. There are a lot of people here today," she said. "I'll be right out, Rod."


	2. Chapter one: A hole in the gate

This story is based on actual items and plans for Animal Kingdom. However, the little conspiracy theory is purely fiction…as far as I know…anyway, the disclaimer. Ahem…I do not own anything by Disney, not even a stock share. I found out about these plans by researching it at many different sites, and I know every inch of the parks, but I have no real affiliation with Disney (well, until I become an Imagineer there, that is).

"…Hm?" The faint noise attracted the attention of the head.

"What is it now?"

"Computer's tracked something. Looks like an energy source."

"An energy source? Let me see," he said, pushing the tracker aside to look at the monitor. "That's it?" he complained, squinting.

"Well, yes sir. I mean, you can plainly see it on the screen." The glowing green screen was showing a straight lime-green line that pulsed every so often, much like one would see in a hospital tracking a pulse.

"It's nothing to get concerned about," the head frowned. "It's probably just a small hole, and those close up in an hour or so. You've seen small things like this before, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"So don't bother me with it then!" he snapped. With that, he left the concerned and embarrassed tracker to watch the monitor again. "Ignorant novice," he grumbled.

* * *

"Let's see…" Alison mumbled to her computer screen. Kingdom…stone crocodile," she typed into the search bar. The results that came had absolutely nothing to do with the…whatever-it-was before. Everything was about a crocodile in general or Steve Irwin. "Well, that was useless," she muttered.

"Hey, wannabe!" her brother called from below. "Mom sent Annette home after she finished dinner, so you get to set the table!"

"Why can't you do it, Will?!" she called back. "Rodney just got me home, and I have stuff to do!"

"Please, Alison?" her mother called. "I've been swamped all day at work, and your brother is just as busy as you. Will you just do me this one thing?" Alison sighed and reluctantly got up from her computer desk.

"_Guess I'll ask another cast member what it is tomorrow_," she thought, disappointed. As she stepped out of her room and onto the staircase, her mother glided into the room. That was one thing she noticed about her mother's side of the family, they couldn't walk. They always had to dance around.

"There you are, darling," she smiled, showing off her newly-whitened teeth. Alison sighed inwardly.

"_Swamped at work? More like swamped with her own insecurities,"_ she thought. Her mother had always been concerned with her body and had made it her life's work to fix every bit, even if it meant calling in sick to the law firm. There was no question about if they had the money for the various amounts of liquid plastic she had injected into herself; her dad was a lawyer too. But her obsession itself could get annoying, especially to someone as down-to-earth as Alison. Today must have been a teeth trip.

"So how was your day?" her mother asked as Alison grabbed the china out of an ornate cabinet.

"Eh, you know. Little kids were the same as usual at work, and school was a bore," she said. She felt her mother's eyes burning into her back, so she turned around. "What?"

"Why aren't you wearing that cute outfit I got for you the other day?" she asked.

"This was a bit more… comfortable than the thing you bought me," she smiled, trying hard not to reveal her true feelings for the pink Hollister shirt and matching shorts.

"But it's so fashionable," she protested. "All the adults at work have photos of their children wearing stuff like that. The only picture that I have of you in my office has you wearing a grimy sweatshirt and holey jeans. Your hair doesn't even have a straight part in it."

"Well, work was a bit stressful today, and I'd rather wear something comfy than fashionable, okay?" She set the plates down and ignored her mother's confused stare. _"Well, I guess she wouldn't be able to comprehend not wearing something that looks like a Barbie doll outfit,"_ she thought. As she set the last plate down, a sound similar to a stampeding elephant echoed through the hallways. In other words, Will had invited friends over. "It's gonna be a looong night," she muttered to herself.

* * *

Talan was awakened by the soft sound of the clan leader's claws scraping against the cave floor. Curious, he slowly opened one eye and found his silhouette. Alta was perched by the mouth of the cave and seemed to be staring at something. _"He's searching," _Talan thought in his sleepy confusion. _"Why would Alta be searching?"_

"You're up a bit late, young Talan," Alta said suddenly, making Talan jump in shock. "You shouldn't be so surprised that I sensed your heartbeat quicken," he said in an amused tone.

"I guess I shouldn't," he murmured quietly so as not to wake the others. He picked himself up and moved closer to Alta, although sitting far enough behind him to respect his role in the clan. "Sir Alta, what is going on that you would be searching so late at night? Are they acting up again? The Absalom?"

"No, the Absalom have been relatively quiet for the past few days," he replied. He stood up on his haunches and began to pace the length of the entranceway. Talan noticed that he was not pacing from worry, but of excitement. His wise leader's eyes were gleaming with an excitement Talan had not yet seen in him.

"Then what? Is it Serafina?"

"No, she's been fairly calm as well." He paused for a moment, and then turned to Talan with a glimmer of hope sparkling in his expression. "The gate is reopening, young one. We're getting our chance."


	3. Chapter two: A Light in the Tunnel

This story is based on actual items and plans for Animal Kingdom. However, the little conspiracy theory is purely fiction…as far as I know…anyway, the disclaimer. Ahem…I do not own anything by Disney, not even a stock share. I found out about these plans by researching it at many different sites, and I know every inch of the parks, but I have no real affiliation with Disney (well, until I become an Imagineer there, that is).

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering why the tracker is watching that screen and who (or what) Alta and Talon are, it will be revealed later. It's the mystery of the thing that will come into play.

* * *

Alison had barely survived the dinner thanks to the boys' fart jokes and her mother's subtle yet obvious disapproval of her outfit, but after it was over, she realized it wasn't nearly as bad as lunch was every day. As she quietly chewed on the limp veggie wrap that had been today's main course in the cafeteria line, she felt a slight pang in her chest for some company. After all, sitting by herself at a small round table by the entranceway to the lunchroom wasn't much fun, no matter how much she detested the people around her.

"_Too bad the groups were set at the beginning of the year,"_ she thought wistfully as she finished her lunch and picked up her books. _"Otherwise, I might have joined a table…oh, what am I thinking? I don't want to sit with them. They're plain annoying."_ There was some truth to that statement; all of the groups at the school were extremely exclusive. Even the people considered losers made sure not to be seen with anyone else out of their circle, especially the loners. Alison was included in that stereotype. She had always guessed the reason was she didn't stick out in a crowd, what with her plain dirty-blond hair and average features. The only thing that stood out was her eyes, since one was green and the other was blue. But that didn't help her, it only made things worse. It had labeled her as a freak early on. That was why her mother always strived to help her become one of the "In-crowd". It had only taken Alison two years to realize she didn't want to be part of a crowd that secluded her in the first place because of her differences. So instead, she left her mother's dream of mini-skirts and lip gloss and entered her own: to do what she wanted, wear what she wanted, and hang out with who she wanted. The only real problem with the plan was that she hadn't found anyone to fill the third requirement. And the only time that issue really stood out to her was lunchtime.

"So, like, anyway, I was looking for a place to work so I could get my mother off my back, you know?" Alison heard coming from a table as she began to leave. "But I can't find anyone who'll hire me." It was Joli Maxwell, Alison's brother's girlfriend and head of the prep table. And unfortunately, since her brother sat there, he often used her as an example for anything dumb.

"Well, you could apply for a cast member job at Disney World or something," Will offered. "It's only about twenty minutes away by car from here, right? And if they hire people like my sister, they'll hire anyone."

Case and point.

"Eww, and be seen in some weird mouse costume surrounded by smelly kids?" Joli scrunched up her nose. "As if. Besides, how could you visit me at work to give me kisses when I'm covered in fur, Willy?" Alison struggled not to gag. Maybe to her, with her long black hair and fake nose, his spiky brown hair and blue eyes was attractive, but they both looked and dressed like they were asking for it.

"Why would you even need a job?" Kara Stone asked. As her right hand girl, the blond-haired hazel-eyed beauty had to know everything about everyone for Joli's use, whether it be blackmail or otherwise. So, she had a habit of being a snoop, even around the people she was getting information for, not from. "I mean, it's not like you need the money. You live in the same suburb as Will. Oh, wait, what if-" Her blue eyes widened. "Omigod, your dad didn't lose his job, did he?"

"Uh, no Kara."

"And now you're poor, and you have to support your entire family by working at McDonalds and you'll have to drop ou-"

"I said no Kara! God!" Joli exclaimed in exasperation.

"Sorry," she giggled. "Watched one too many TV movies, I guess." Alison rolled her eyes and hurriedly left the cafeteria.

* * *

"What'd you bring for lunch?" the security guard asked the tracker.

"Tuna. You?"

"Subway cheese steak," he said with a grin.

"Lucky," the tracker groaned. "Trade me?"

"Not a chance," he said, taking a large bite. "Oh yeah, I was gonna ask you why the supervisor was yelling at you yesterday."

"Hm? Oh, that," he muttered grumpily. He pointed at the large green monitor. "He told me when I started here that anytime the solid dark-green line here pulsed, I should contact him. Well, every time I do it, he shouts at me for wasting his time."

"What's it tracking?"

"Like I would know," he rolled his eyes. "I'm not high up enough to know what I'm looking for." The guard laughed.

"C'mon, let's go to the break room. Eating in the monitor area is distracting." The tracker hesitated.

"I really shouldn't leave…"

"Aw, come on. You can leave your post for a few minutes," he said. After looking back at the screen once more, he shrugged and left with the guard. If only he had stayed for a minute more, he might have caught the thing he had been searching for for four years. The line on the monitor started to pulse slowly, then lurched upwards and pulsed wildly. It went on for about two minutes before returning to normal. And no one had noticed.

* * *

"You were right, Sir Alta!" Talan said happily. "I can feel it in the air. It's freshening at last!"

"That's not all we should be happy about, young Talan," Alta said. The grin was small, but could still be seen on his beak. "You know what a hole of this size could lead to, don't you?" Talan breathed in sharply. His leader was not one for hope, especially one that was so…so unlikely! He was such a fact-based soul.

"Sir…please Sir, do not be offended, but I just can't let myself believe this. Besides, even if one did come, Serafina would not allow-"

"Ah, young Talan. Like everyone else, you are led by the bat's tall tales."

"They are the only ones brave enough to sneak into her castle, even if it is only to steal her treasure."

"So you believe thieves?" he asked with an amused tone lingering in his voice.

"No, no…I mean, er…maybe…"

"Do not worry so much," Alta said serenely as he gazed toward the sky from the cave mouth. "Everything that needs to happen will. And I pray this will include a partner for Sebastian and perhaps even his chance for escape."

* * *

"And now, to complete my shift…" Sarah Rae said dramatically. Alison rolled her eyes. Sarah had the shift before hers. She had dropped out of high school to pursue an acting career, but the homely black-haired girl hadn't been able to cut a break. She said that since her parents weren't supportive of her plans, she had to work to pay her agent. But the only gigs she had managed to get from him were a cereal ad and the end of her shift. So even though Alison was changed and ready to go at three-thirty, Sarah kept her waiting until four.

"Can you finish up _today_, girl?" Raquel exclaimed in exasperation. "We don't have time for your nonsense!" Alison had to hand it to the loud and proud Spanish _chica_ who also worked at the souvenir shop in Harambe Village: she knew how to get stuff done. Maybe getting through all four years of high school helped her; she had graduated the year before and had taken a year off of school to earn money for college.

"Well, fine then," Sarah said in a huff. "I won't waste my time on people who don't appreciate my talents!" She handed the register key to Alison and stormed off.

"Well, she's getting there," Alison smirked. "Drama queen is a step above where she was two months ago." Raquel chuckled and shook her head, causing her wavy black hair to swish in front of her face.

"All right, we better get started."

"Yeah," Alison said with a trace of sarcasm laced into her tone. "Don't want to keep the four-o-clock rush waiting."

"You know that some people stay later than one-o-clock here," Raquel replied as she straightened a stack of Safari Mickey stuffed animals.

"Not many, though," Alison sighed and leaned against the cash register gently. "I think those Imagineers are gonna have to step it up a bit to keep the visitors coming in for the whole day."

"Don't complain," Raquel warned. "We've got the easy shift. Imagine how busy the people are that do the ten-o-clock shifts."

"Guess so," she grinned. Then she noticed something was missing. The store that they worked in included safari hats in their uniforms. "Uh, Raquel? Where's your hat?" She blinked in confusion.

"Hat? It's not…?" She felt the top of her head. "Oh, crap! I didn't even notice!"

"How could you not notice it?"

"I don't know! Aw, man, it must still be in the changing room!"

"Look, you watch the register, and I'll grab the hat," Alison said, tossing the register key to Raquel.

"Why you?" she asked, scrunching up her nose.

"I think I left my locker unlocked and I wanted to check. I was going back anyway." With a tiny wave, she walked away from a distressed Raquel, who still couldn't figure out how she had forgotten the hat. In all honesty, though, Alison knew it was locked, but saying her locker wasn't locked was always a good excuse to get out of something, whether it was the start of her shift or the start of gym, when running was a mandatory warm-up.

"_Oh well. Raquel can handle a few customers without me,"_ she thought as she walked toward the locker room. When they had built it, they wanted to keep the natural beauty of the park instead of just having it for all the visitors to see, so it had been hidden behind a grove near the oasis. In order to get there, she had to walk back to the beginning of the park and weave through the now-decreasing crowds. She realized that what she told Raquel was right in front of her. The park just couldn't keep the crowds in. Sure, her job there wasn't the best in the world, but she still had sort of a soft spot for the place. She just felt that the Imagineers could have done a better job with it.

"_What on earth had gone wrong?"_ she wondered, reaching the secret door. She opened it and immediately the heat dropped, turning the hot day into a bearable cold interior. She quickly spotted the safari hat lying on one of the benches. "How could Raquel just leave it there like that?" she sighed. "Even Will isn't this much of a scatterbrain and he forgets where his homework is when it's still on his desk." She grabbed it and headed toward the door.

* * *

"Sir Alta?" Talan asked hesitantly. His leader was sitting back at the cave mouth with his eyes closed. "Are you oka-"

"Shh!" he ordered. "It's going to happen about…now!"

* * *

Alison stared. That's all she could manage to do. The shock of going into a room one minute when it's daytime and coming back out to a night sky kind of takes it out of a person.

"Um…ok…," she managed to whisper shakily. "What the… it wasn't nighttime thirty seconds ago… How the heck is this possible? Is this some sort of special effect they're testing?" She might have actually considered this if the park had any people in it, but there wasn't a single trace of human activity around except for her. She was all alone in complete darkness…until she noticed a glimmer of light out of the corner of her right eye coming from where the stone crocodile was. "Signs of life!" she cried out in a half-joking tone, running through the empty pathways toward the glow. As she got closer, it seemed to be coming from the Camp Minnie-Mickey area, around the bridge. But instead of being a light on the pathway, it was coming from the small pond that separated the character meet-and-greet area from the Oasis, near a strange rock formation. Up close, the light was a strange twinkling yellow, and wasn't from any light source Alison could identify, sort of an unearthly shimmering.

"Umm…hello? Is someone working on an effect in there?" Alison called from the bridge. It was the last thing she remembered doing before her life turned upside down forever.


	4. Chapter three: A Boy in the Castle

This story is based on actual items and plans for Animal Kingdom. However, the little conspiracy theory is purely fiction…as far as I know…anyway, the disclaimer. Ahem…I do not own anything by Disney, not even a stock share. I found out about these plans by researching it at many different sites, and I know every inch of the parks, but I have no real affiliation with Disney (well, until I become an Imagineer there, that is).

The strange smell was the main thing that had brought Alison back to the conscious world. Her nose was unable to tell what exactly it was; it seemed like a mixture of sulfur and burning tires. But after the smell had brought her back, three more characteristics of wherever she was snapped her into full consciousness: she was lying on some sort of slimy cold cobblestone floor, and it was pitch black. As in, so black she couldn't see her hand when it was inches from her face. And finally, something was poking her head. She jolted and scrambled up to her feet.

"It's weird," someone giggled. "Does it talk? I want to hear it talk."

"So it's not Sebastian?" someone else asked. "I was so sure it was him. This thing smells like him."

"Where are you?" Alison asked, backing up slowly until she hit a wall. "Show yourself. Turn on the light or something."

"It talks like us!" the first voice squealed in pleasure. Something perched on her shoulder and grabbed her hair. Alison yelped and thrashed about to get whatever it was off.

"Hey, don't do that! You're hitting me," the second voice snapped as something perched on her again. Alison reached a shaky hand to feel whatever it was on her. A furry round thing…with claws…and leathery strips…wings?

"A bat?" she asked, not believing her own sense of touch.

"Well, what did you think I was?" the voice said annoyingly.

"It's funny!" the first voice kept repeating in its mirth. "This thing is funny! Can we keep it?" Alison screamed and hit the bat off of her shoulder. Then, she began to run, not caring that she couldn't see a thing. Every time she hit a wall, she would just continue on in another direction, blind and terrified and confused at the same time, which doesn't add up to a very good combination. Finally, she saw a small light at the edge of a tunnel, which she ran to with so much joy she almost burst into tears.

"Thank you god," she whispered shakily as she reached the corner. "Thank you God, thank you Allah, thank you Vishnu, thank-" As she turned the corner, her words were frightened away. A ten ton animal, which was the source of the burning smell and seemed very, very angry that someone had come into its eyesight, stood glaring at her and snorting sparks.

"No…" she whispered frighteningly. "That's impossible. Those…a dragon…t-those don't exist!" In response to her disbelief, the dragon roared into her ear and glared at her with its fiery-red eyes. Alison screamed again and sprinted in the other direction, the dragon close behind. Through all the twists and turns, she managed to find a corner in the wall and crouched inside, letting the dragon heave past her and continue to chasing no one.

"_You idiot!"_ Someone yelled at her. _"You can't get that close to that thing! Someone like you is the one who's supposed to get the sword?"_ It took her a second to realize the voice was in her head.

"I've been drugged," she said flatly. "That's the only explanation. Someone kidnapped me on the way to the locker room, stuffed some chloroform in my nose, and this is some sort of weird unconscious dream."

"_Yeah yeah, whatever. Believe what you want, as long as you get the sword during that time. Got it? Get the sword!"_

"What sword? Oh god," she said in dismay, "I'm talking to the fake voice in my head. I've become a schizophrenic." Suddenly, the light began to come back. Alison froze as the dragon lumbered back the other way, stopping in front of her space and glaring at her again. "Um…" Alison said sweetly. "Hi, drug-induced nightmare dragon. Listen, can you do me a favor and not kill me? Cause, since this is a dream, if I die here, I'm gonna die in real life. So, if you'll just let me by, I'll find a nice quiet place away from you to wait out the end of the dream." The dragon's reply was another deafening roar, throwing hot saliva all over her face and shoulders. Alison shrieked and fell to the ground, frozen stiff from the fear. The dragon began to force its snout into the hole in the wall, but before it got to her it stopped and turned around, roaring at a green streak slashing at its tail.

"I thought that I had heard someone in here," the streak shouted over the dragon's bellowing. "Get out of here, quickly. Go back the way you came, where this monstrosity was lying down!" Alison felt herself get up and run, even though she couldn't remember ever commanding her legs to move. Somehow she remembered the way out, and quickly got to a set of large wooden doors far away from the helpful streak and the enormous fanciful predator. She ran at the door with full force and pushed it open; stepping into a world that she, at first, didn't believe was really there.She had found herself staring at a grassy hill that sloped gently down and morphed into a dense forest. To her left, the grass had yellowed from the intense heat of a savanna plain, which faded about three miles out to a sandy desert. Her right beheld a thick mist. From behind the mist, a tall mountain range peeked out on the horizon. It was like looking at a small version of almost all of the world's environments smashed together.

"Whatever drug they used to knock me out, it sure is a trip," Alison said to herself. Suddenly, the ground beneath her began to shake. With a loud crash, the dragon burst from one of the high towers and sped off into the sky, howling in agony. Whoever the weird sword guy was, he seemed to have done a decent job hurting it.

"You there! You insolent fool, what on earth were you even doing in there!" the boy shouted from behind her as he passed through the wooden doorway. "You're just lucky I managed to hear your screaming, because otherwise-"

"Hey, don't blame this on me!" she said angrily. "I didn't ask to be kidnapped, stuffed in a trunk, and knocked out by some weird drug that put me in a castle with talking bats and a dragon!" She glared at him fiercely, as if daring him to challenge her and say that she in fact did want all of that. The poor boy, about Alison's age with short light-blond hair, green eyes, and an emerald green cloak which covered a leathery-brown traveler's outfit from medieval times, had no idea what to make of her. And not because her little speech confused him.

"Are you an elf?" he asked.

"A what?"

"No, you aren't an elf. You do not have their ears," he muttered, examining her. "And you are not a dwarf, or a sprite…but surely you can't be a four-legged beast, unless you are hiding two more legs in your trousers. Are you?" he asked. Alison could only stare. "Oh, I know!" he said triumphantly. "You are a hybrid of some sort, and you have a hidden tail!" He bent down to look for a bulge. She snapped out of her state of shock to knock him one good on the head.

"Could you BE any ruder?" she snapped. "What the heck were you born from in my subconscious, figment? Can't even recognize another human being-" He shot up from the ground where he had been knocked down to with wide eyes.

"A what?" he whispered slowly.

"A human, figment," she said again, becoming rather fond of the name she had picked out for him.

"A…a human," he said in what seemed to be amazement.

"Uh…yeah. Look, I'm just gonna go over there, crazy fig-" Before she could finish her sentence, she found herself being tackled to the grassy hill by the strange boy as he screamed, "A HUMAN!!!!"

"Get offa me!" she shouted, which was muffled due to the fact that her face was now in the dirt.

"You are really a human?! Honestly?! " he asked her gleefully, still holding onto her tightly.

"Of course I am!" she said in annoyance. This boy was getting on her nerves. He let go a little bit so she could get her face off of the ground and face him. His eyes were now shining.

"This is a miracle! A human! Well, where did you come from? How did you get here? Are there others?

"Um…yeah…"

"How many?"

"I think like, six billion or something."

"Six billion…" he murmured, sounding as if he was about to cry from joy. "Six BILLION other humans!" He began to laugh and picked Alison up, spinning her around.

"Sebastian, if you don't put that girl down soon, you'll squeeze the life out of her," an amused voice said from behind them. He set her down but kept staring at her like she was a goddess descended from the heavens, which was a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, Lady, but I couldn't help but feel such joy over your appearance," he said, bowing slightly.

"Um…s'okay," she said in confusion, looking around for the person who told him to let her down. She wanted to mouth "Thank you" to him. "Where's the-"

"Down here, miss," the voice said. She looked down and saw a large dog staring at her.

"Great," she groaned. "First bats, now dogs."

"I'm a wolf, but that doesn't matter much," he chuckled. "So, a human. I can't say I didn't hope, but I didn't expect it at all."

"Wait, wait. Are you saying that I dreamed up all the crap in this mind maze and he's the only human I got out of it?" she asked.

"This isn't a mind maze," the wolf said. "It's The Kingdom."

"Yeah yeah, mind maze, The Kingdom, same difference. Just tell me what I have to do to wake up. This is sorta creeping me out."

"She think's this is false?" Sebastian asked Radone. He smiled briefly.

"I would guess she isn't used to hearing our kind speak wherever she came from. We will have to wait and be patient with her, but we will also have to keep an eye on her at all times so she doesn't do anything dangerous…like go into the mist." He directed his attention toward the forest. "Lady, if you'll follow us, we'll take you somewhere safe where you can learn why your presence is so shocking."


	5. Chapter four: A Voice in the Mind

This story is based on actual items and plans for Animal Kingdom. However, the little conspiracy theory is purely fiction…as far as I know…anyway, the disclaimer. Ahem…I do not own anything by Disney, not even a stock share. I found out about these plans by researching it at many different sites, and I know every inch of the parks, but I have no real affiliation with Disney (well, until I become an Imagineer there, that is).

Alison silently counted her thoughts with her fingers while following the talking wolf and the crazy kid. She had been worried at first that this would end up turning into some sort of Grimm Brothers fairy tale and the wolf would eat her while the figment laughed, but as far as she could figure, this was still a dream and anything was better than being back where the dragon was. At least she had a chance of running away from these two. While they walked, Sebastian kept turning around slightly and gazing at her with a small, shy grin that made her uncomfortable.

"Could you, uh, stop that?" she asked when he looked at her for the umpteenth time. His smile faded and he turned back around quickly in embarrassment, deciding to try and not bother her again…at least for a while. Radone shook his head. How on earth could he have known that human's were so disbelieving, so unnerved by the slightest differences they encountered? Maybe he had done wrong to raise Sebastian as he and the pack had. If the girl took him back to his birthplace, he might be too inexperienced and strange to assimilate. He might become an outcast.

"Are you all right, sir?" Sebastian asked him. He blinked and looked up at him.

"Yes. Why?"

"You just seemed to be somewhere else in your thoughts than with us," he said.

"I was...thinking. Of the future, of the girl…" he hesitated, but made it sound like there was more.

"Yes?"

"Nothing. Just of the future and the girl." He turned his attention to Alison, who was trailing behind in her attempt to navigate the forest they had just entered. To the experienced two who had made this journey many times, it was simple, but Alison was having trouble avoiding vines and rocks. "Lady," he called out to her, making her jump. "What do you call yourself?"

"What? Oh, uh…Alison."

"Lovely," he said with a smile. He might have thought it was a gentle smile, but all Alison could see was a whole bunch of teeth bared right in her direction. It was all she could do not to shudder. "Ah," he said, turning back. "We're here." Alison jumped over a final tree root and peered over Sebastian's shoulder. They had stopped at a small clearing where about fifteen more Radone's in various shades were loping about. The area was completely shaded by giant trees almost as large as redwoods. A cliff made up one side, which had a large den carved out of it. Three cubs wrestled in front of it, leaping over some sort of large animal's corpse that had been dragged close to the cliff. Two larger wolves were gnawing their way into it, which made Alison want to throw up. However, when Radone and Sebastian walked into the clearing, the entire pack stopped what they were doing and laid down in a submissive position. Radone picked his way around the pack to the center, where a flat rock had been set. Sitting on his haunches, he motioned Alison and Sebastian forward with his head. Sebastian hesitantly held out his hand. Alison stared at it for a second, then just as hesitantly took hold. He grinned and dragged her into the middle next to the circle next to Radone. At the sight of her, the rest of the pack sat up and stared at her in shock and confusion.

"What is this, Radone?" one of the older ones asked. "Some sort of elf?"

"No, she doesn't have the ears," another protested. "What about a tail? Sebastian, is she hiding a tail?"

"What is it with you guys and strange body parts, figment?" she muttered to Sebastian. He just kept grinning as he responded.

"It's Sebastian. And if I didn't say so before, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Alison."

"This, my friends, my brothers and sisters, is something that we never thought we would see in our lifetimes. Something we have waited for ever since we found Sebastian sixteen years last autumn. She is…" He glanced at her and paused before continuing. "…A human." Puzzled murmurs aroused from the crowd of wolves.

"A human?"

"Impossible."

"But that would mean-"

"There are more?"

"We all thought Sebastian was one of a kind," the old one said.

"Well, isn't it better that he isn't, Colten?" Radone said loudly.

"Where did she come from?" one of the younger ones asked.

"Serafina's castle," Sebastian answered. The murmurs turned to shocked outbursts of concern.

"She survived?"

"But how?"

"No wonder the lizard took off like that. We could hear her from here."

"Did you see the bats?" A cub asked Alison, putting his front paws on her legs. Alison numbly nodded, making the other cubs rush at her with more questions. Apparently the bats were well known.

"Children, children, please," Radone chuckled. "Before any of us interrogate her, I think it would be best to let Lady Alison rest from her encounter today in the castle. Tomorrow, we shall find out exactly what is going on." He looked up at Alison. "You may rest wherever you wish. Just do not stray too far. If the Absalom-" he suddenly stopped.

"What's the Absalom?"

"Nothing important. Just stay close to the den. Everyone else," he addressed the group. "Please be considerate and try not to bother her too much. Go about what you were doing previously." The pack went back to their normal business, but they seemed to keep at least one eye on the new arrival. Sebastian noticed them staring and decided to take her somewhere a little less awkward to sit. He gently tugged on her hand.

"Would you like to rest over here?" he asked, pointing toward a close knit grove of trees. She snatched her hand out of his, suddenly feeling uncomfortable again.

"Over there is good," she assured him, walking quickly the other way. She leaned against one of the trees and closed her eyes, thinking if she had some peace she would wake herself up. Unfortunately, he followed her. She opened an eye and groaned when she saw him.

"You're really getting on my nerves, figment," Alison sighed.

"Sebastian," he reminded her. She found herself rolling her eyes.

"Sorry. It's a habit now. What do you want?"

"W-well, I know I'm not supposed to, but I was wondering about some things…" She scooted over and patted the ground beside her. "Fine, fine. If you're gonna question me, can we just get all of it over with?"

"Y-you mean it?!" he stammered in excitement. She nodded with some resentment in the motion. He grinned and sat down. "Well, first off, are you acquainted with all six billion people?" She stared at him incredulously.

"You can't be serious," she said flatly. He nodded in excitement. "No! Do you think it's actually possible to know six billion people? I don't think I know six hundred people."

"Oh…" he said quietly, now slightly embarrassed. "Well…er…I was wondering if…well, how many people are like me, and how many are like you?"

"Uh…you mean how many boys compared to girls?"

"Oh good, humans call themselves boys and girls as well! I didn't know that," he beamed. She shook her head in amazement.

"How is it possible not to know any of this?" she muttered in disbelief.

"I have been trapped in The Kingdom for the whole of my life. You are the first human I have ever met, remember?"

"Oh…yeah…," she said, almost in an apologetic tone. She needed to be sensitive to the fact that the dream-induced stranger knew about as much as a three-year-old. "Well, I would have to guess there are more boys than girls...but-"

"Why?"

"Because of sadist male pigs degrading females for the past three thousand years."

"Pigs are higher forms of life in your land?" he asked in surprise. Alison brought a hand to her forehead and massaged her temples.

"Can we be done with the questions?"

"But-"

"That wasn't really a question. I'm done."

"…Okay…" he murmured. The two sat in an awkward silence. Alison felt a tinge of guilt flow through her thoughts for stopping his questioning session, but that boy would never be able to understand human life if he kept taking everything she said literally, so what was the point? Besides, it's not like he had any real feelings to hurt. He wasn't real himself.

"_That's right, ignore him. You just need to relax. You have more important things to worry about. Like, I don't know, GETTING THE SWORD! Hurry up; I don't want to wait much longer!" _Alison's frustration with the voice reached its maximum tolerance.

"SHUT UP! I can't take this anymore!" she screamed. Sebastian stared at her in shock.

"I did not say anything," he said hesitantly. She shook her head.

"No, no, not you. Some stupid voice in my head keeps rambling about a sword. Which sounds crazy, but stranger things have happened…like finding myself transported from my work to a dragon tower, which I still don't think exists anywhere but my head." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a moment of him not responding, she continued "Anyway, I'll wake up soon and forget about it." She turned to look at him and noticed for the first time that Sebastian had disappeared. "Hey! Don't just run away when a person's talking to you! It's rude!!!" she yelled.

"I apologize, Lady Alison. He was only going to fetch me," Radone said from behind her. She jumped and stared at him.

"I'm still not used to you…talking still…" she said shakily. He chuckled, but his eyes retained a deep tone of seriousness. Sebastian stared at her like he had when he first realized she was one of his kind: as if she was the greatest thing he had ever seen. The looks from both of them unnerved her. "…What?" she finally asked.

"You said something to Sebastian about a voice in your head, and a sword, correct?" Radone asked. "It is vital that you be honest here."

"Yeah, it's true. How the hell could someone make something as annoying as that up?" she laughed. "But don't worry; I had a feeling I was going slowly insane when I first ended up in this mind prison."

"Again, this is not a mind prison. And if this is true, then I think I have figured out why it is you've come to this place." He lifted his head to meet her eyes completely; she noticed how full of hope they were. "You're the other chosen one. The one destined to save us from the darkness." Alison stared at him for a moment, then began to crack up.

"Chosen one!" she giggled. "Darkness! Oh man, I'm really out of it. What is this, _Star Wars_?"

"How can you still believe that this is a joke, some sort of game?" Sebastian asked sharply enough to stop her laughter. "You're destined for something great, to help my pack and the other creatures here, and you still believe that this is an illusion?"

"Sebastian, cease!" Radone growled fiercely. He stared at him in shock, but got down on his knees and bowed low to the ground. "Good," he said in a softer tone. "Now, I knew that it would be hard to convince you when I first saw your reaction to all this that this isn't a trick of the mind. Do not worry, I have more proof. Come." He turned and padded away, then stopped about ten feet in and looked back at Alison, whose feet it seemed had been rooted to the ground. "I said, come," he said in the same tone he had used to make Sebastian back down. She jumped and quickly caught up with the shadow wolf leader, who grunted his satisfaction to her obedience and continued through the fields up toward Serafina's castle. She wanted desperately to ask him if they were going to enter the collapsing stone building, and in which case they were beg to be excused from the little rendezvous, but there was something in his command that not only had made her follow him without question but also had let fear leak partly out of her mind. Luckily for the part of her that still remembered the terror, he changed course from the main doors of the castle to a tiny house on the side. Nudging the door open with his nose, he motioned for her to walk into the house. At the first step inside, Alison realized that she had been mistaken in the assumption of the building being a house.

"A church?" she asked Radone when he padded to her side.

"Yes. A small cathedral for worship… yet so much more than that. Did you notice the stained glass windows?" he asked. She looked toward the rear of the church and noticed for the first time a masterpiece of color. A man and woman stood back to back, the man with blond hair and a green cloak that looked suspiciously similar to Sebastian's first outfit, and the woman with long hair of the same color and a blue cloak. Underneath the cloaks the figures both sported brown warrior's outfits, and a sword had been attached to the belts of each. Behind them were two backgrounds: on the edges was a terrible black abyss with blood-red eyes glaring at the human figures, but where the two met the darkness faded into a thin line of bright paradise.

"Beautiful," she said. "But I'm still not seeing the point."

"The Kingdom isn't as much of a paradise as you might think. Each day is a just another chance for the Absalom to come and conquer the land."

"All right, not you have to tell me. What's the Absalom?"

"Even I'm not entirely sure what the Absalom is, but it is a horrifying problem. It comes in the form of rolling black clouds and swallows up anything it can. It can also break off into other forms, but the clouds are the most common. And in the end, if a large portion of the land has been taken, it is covered in mist. The land disappears, and everything that resided in it. It's a dark, dangerous nightmare that is showing no signs of stopping." Alison's blood froze.

"So how have you survived?"

"Sebastian. For as long as he has been with us, he has trained to become strong enough to slay the Absalom when it comes near our land. But he isn't the only one getting stronger. I'm afraid he'll soon fall, though I dare not tell him this. He just won't be able to continue to be triumphant, unless of course-," he tossed his head toward the window to indicate his next reference, "-the other chosen one comes to assist his quest."

"And you think this chosen one…that girl on the glass, you think that's me?"

"There is a strong possibility," he told her in all seriousness.

"Look," she protested, turning toward the door. "It's not like I wouldn't help you guys out. But I still think this is all some wacko dream caused by chloroform." Suddenly, searing pain hit her arm. Radone had bitten a chunk of flesh from her elbow. Gasping from the pain, she bent over and held her arm in agony as the blood began to drip down onto the stone floor. "Why did you do that?!" she managed to hiss through the throbbing pain.

"You can't get hurt in dreams and feel it, Lady Alison, not without waking up," Radone said in a grim tone as he spit the bit of skin and muscle out. "Therefore, do you still believe this is a dream?" Alison stared at the floor as the realization finally hit her. It was true that you couldn't feel pain in a dream without waking up; she remembered learning that somewhere…maybe the internet? So…that meant…

"Please, Lady Alison. Please just try to see that you are the chosen one, the one that can help us," Radone said softly as he moved slowly toward her and licked the wound on her arm. "Please."

"No…this can't be…I mean, what could I do?" she asked softly. "I'm can't destroy this Absalom stuff. I'm not strong or smart. Just a sarcastic teen with a dysfunctional family and a flute."

"What can you do? Lady Alison, you can save us. And you can start by performing the action that the voice in your head wishes: Getting your sword. Which, I should mention…" he hesitated at this point. "…is in Serafina's castle. In the treasure room." Alison stared at him.

"Sarcasm," she said flatly. "You're…kidding. Right? You aren't gonna make me go back in there."

"I can't make you do anything. But maybe, you'll find it in your heart to help us, even if it means risking your own life." He turned and walked out with only one mournful glance back. "Please think about it, Lady Alison," he said on his way out. Alison sat down on one of the church benches and put her head in her hands.

"This can't be real…I can't do this," she whispered, looking back at the stained glass window. "How is this happening? None of this can possibly exist. And you…how can I be you?" She asked the blond heroine on the window. "I can't do anything like this. I can't even figure out my Algebra homework."

"_Oh really?"_ the voice said casually. _"You can't do anything at all?"_

"Shut up," she said quietly. "I don't want to hear you anymore. I can't deal with you right now."

"_Oh, I think you can, Alison. What you seem to need right now, is what I like to call a pep-talk."_

"Pep-talk?"

"_Yep. I personally find it surprising that a person who escapes from a dragon, beats up bat thieves, and is able to accept that this is all real is a person who can't do anything."_ Alison sat there for a bit before responding.

"Who are you?" she finally asked.

"_Your personal guide to your destiny,"_ the voice said casually. _"You can call me Carver. Now then, let's get one thing straight. Do you want to save this place or not?"_

"I don't know! I just got here!"

"_You know you do. Even if you just got here, you want to help them. And you can, without dying too."_

"…Really?"

"_Yeah. You know, I'm glad my friend suggested using a calmer approach. You seem to be responding better. All right, here's what we need to do…"_ And as the voice explained what to do, Alison gradually became more confident. Sure, she might have lost it, but at least her voice guide was going to help her survive in this place. And not only that, she finally was able to picture herself doing something other than being invisible in everything she did.


	6. Chapter five: A Warmth in the Heart

This story is based on actual items and plans for Animal Kingdom. However, the little conspiracy theory is purely fiction…as far as I know…anyway, the disclaimer. Ahem…I do not own anything by Disney, not even a stock share. I found out about these plans by researching it at many different sites, and I know every inch of the parks, but I have no real affiliation with Disney (well, until I become an Imagineer there, that is).

"_Okay, we need to leave the chapel without the wolves noticing," _Carver told her. _"Is the one that came in here with you waiting outside?"_ Alison ran over to the door and opened it just enough for her to peek outside.

"No, he's gone."

"_Good. You need to get to the edge of the forest without being seen. Stay low. There's going to be a tree with a hollow. Inside the hollow is a jar that the boy uses sometimes as a flashlight. That's what we're going to do."_

"A jar? As a flashlight?"

"_Yeah. It'll make sense once you get the jar and go into the more forested edge of the woods. Now go."_ Alison slowly opened the door the rest of the way and crept out. It was essential, Carver had told her, that the wolves not find out she was going to grab the sword, because they would send a few from the pack or Sebastian to go with her as protection. They meant well, he said, but it would be dead weight. Staying low so the plains grasses would give her cover, she raced to the edge of the woods in the direction of the hollowed-out tree. Sure enough, there was a jar inside when she reached the tree, but it was empty.

"_Go to the right side of the tree and walk straight ahead. See how it's darker?"_ Alison nodded and strode into the darker forest. It didn't take her long to see how the jar would help.

"They're everywhere," she whispered in awe as a firefly landed on her shoulder.

"_This is the grove of light. They gather here because it always looks like nighttime." _Hundreds of fireflies flew in lazy circles around the trees, lighting up the darkness of the woods with their tiny glowing bodies. There were also glowing things sitting on the trees, only their light was constant, unlike the fireflies.

"_Glowworms,"_ Carver explained. _"Collect as many of both bugs as you can."_ Alison lifted the lid off the top and went over to one of the trees. Trying not to touch them with her hands, she dragged the jar along the bark and scooped up a few of the squirmy worms. As they settled near the bottom, she raised it up high and corralled some fireflies to fly in the top.

"_That should do. The castle is dark, so we'll need enough light to see, but we need to be as inconspicuous as possible."_

"But the dragon flew away."

"_She might already be back. You were in the woods with the wolves for about a half an hour. But that doesn't matter. As long as we're quiet, we can slip in, grab the sword, and slip out. Then we can work on step two."_

"Step two?"

"_I'll explain after we're done. Let's go."_ Alison reluctantly walked back toward the collapsing building, her heart heavy. She knew she had to go back in there, but she still had a thought in her mind that she could run away and ignore Carver. It could end up being better than going back in there. "_No,"_ she scolded herself as she snuck through the grass. _"I can do this. I just have to follow Carver's instructions."_

"_Exactly."_ Carver sounded like he was smirking.

"You can read my thoughts, too?"

"_For the moment, anyway. I might not be able to after you get the sword, but- oh, well, you'll see soon enough."_ Alison reached the castle doorway. The wooden doorway, which was almost three times her height, had fallen off its hinges, the wood rotting. Inside was pitch black and foreboding. Alison tried to move her legs, but her feet were stuck to the ground.

"_Well? Hurry up and get in there!"_ Carver said impatiently. Now that she was so close to getting her sword, he was reverting back to his old bossy self.

"Carver, is there any other way? I was fine with it in the forest, but-" Alison started.

"_Oh, for heaven's sake, hurry up! The sooner you get in there, the sooner you can get out! No go!"_ He was once again on Alison's last nerve.

"All right, all right, not so pushy," she snapped back. "Take a breath or something." Cautiously, she stepped into the dark entrance hall and held her flashlight jar in front of her face. It was barely bright enough for her to see five feet in front of her. She tiptoed through the passageway, taking turns when Carver instructed. Soon, Alison felt something drawing her to take turns without his help. It was warm, and soothed her nerves. Everything dulled in the presence of the warmth, even Carvers nagging voice seemed to fade out completely. She didn't need the light anymore; something was telling her where to go. In no time at all, she reached the treasure room of the dragon. Mountains of gold and heaps of precious gems had been piled up against the walls. In the middle was a hill of treasures less valuable than the items by the wall, but they must have had some significance because of their position. Everything in the room was bright and shiny, but nothing could compare to the glow of a silver blade mounted on top of the center pile.

"_The Sword!"_ Carver exclaimed, reaching his full volume yet again. _"Hurry, Alison, you have to-"_

"-Get it, I know," Alison finished for him. She ran toward the pile and stared up at the sword, which seemed to be the source of the comfortable warmth filling up her entire body.

"_Taking a liking to it?"_

"Yes," she breathed, gazing up at it. "It's so…wait a second. A female voice?"

"_Alison!"_ Carver yelled. _"Take it and run! Behind you! It's-"_

"_Serafina,"_ The other voice said. Alison slowly pivoted to face the orange scaled snout she had seen once before. The dragon cocked her head, met Alison's eyes with one golden orb, and breathed a fume from her nose that smelt of sulfer. _"Well, well, well,"_ she said in her mind, _"If it isn't the human girl. At last."_

"…Eep…" Alison managed to stutter.

"_Eep? Is that all you can say? It seems that you usually have a smart mouth, Little Miss. It's no wonder that Carver was assigned to be your guardian. Perhaps you and he will cancel each other out."_

"Y-you know about Carver?" she stuttered. Serafina made a huffling noise, almost as if she was laughing.

"_Relieved to know you aren't going mad?"_ she asked. Her voice, surprisingly, had a cool feeling to it. Perhaps it was because there was no more fire left for her tone.

"Please, I just came to-"

"_I know what you came for, Little Miss."_ The dragon lurched forward, making Alison shrink back. She lifted a scaly eyebrow in surprise.

"_You are a twitchy one. Let me just say if I was going to kill you, I would have done it by now. Catching a flincher like you would be easy."_

"So what? You're gonna fatten me up? Get me nice and plump before you chomp down on my arm?" Serafine made the same huffling noise as before.

"_You saw me about three or four hours ago, yes? I have had time to cool down. You see, Little Miss, my temper flares up on certain occasions. You came at an unfortunate time; those impertinent bats had come to call right before you had. And when I become angry, my judgement is not the best."_

"So what are you going to do with me? You caught me in your treasure room stealing. All the fairy tales and stuff say that you're supposed to eat me. Isn't that a rule?"

"_Are you disappointed?"_ she asked. When Alison gave no response, Serafina snorted another sulfur fume and lurched forward again, this time reaching over Alison's head and grabbing the sword with her small arm. _"Besides, Little Miss, how could you steal what is rightfully yours?"_ she asked, dropping the sword at her feet.

"What?"

"_Yeah, what?"_ Carver asked. It was the first he had spoken since the encounter. Alison assumed he had been too shocked to say anything up until that point. That or he just didn't feel it necessary to interrupt a giant fire-breathing lizard.

"_As I said before, you caught me when I was too angry to control myself. Now that I have calmed down a bit, perhaps I can explain. Many years ago, the griffons came to me."_

"Griffons? The lion-bird things?"

"_Yes. Also known as the all-knowing. They were the ones that kept the swords. For an odd reason, however, they entrusted one of them with me. All they told me was that I would know when to give it away."_ She squinted at her with her huge orb eyes. _"It is true. I could sense you as soon as you appeared in the castle. From where, I know not. But you have this glow about you, the same as the sword. It is hard to see, but it is there. So take it. It is yours."_ Alison hesitantly stepped forward and touched the hilt. When the dragon did not stir, she grabbed it and backed away quickly. Immediately the warmth grew ten-fold, and she saw a soft glow emit from the hilt. A tiny pop sounded next to her left ear.

"YES!" Carver yelled in triumph, no longer speaking in her head. Alison turned and gasped.

"You're a fairy?" she asked. Carver frowned and glared at her. Only about two inches high, he floated at eye level and kept his blue eyes on her. His silvery hair fell down into a small ponytail that reached the shoulder blades. He was wearing a cloak somewhat similar to Sebastian's green one, except it was an earthy brown and had a high collar that had been buttoned to hide the majority of his neck. He carried a rough wood staff as tall as he was with a mother-of-pearl-colored stone levitating just above the top.

"I'm a wood sprite!" he growled. "Not a flippy little fairy. And don't you forget it either!"

"_It's a touchy subject for sprites,"_ Serafina whispered. _"Fairies are sort of…carefree."_

"You mean stupid," he snorted.

"_Yes, well…now that that's taken care of,"_ Serafina pointed toward the glowing sword in Alison's hand and then to her forehead. _"Little Miss, if you would touch the sword to my forehead."_

"Why?" She asked. Carver swirled around her head in excitement.

"She's giving you an emblem!" he told her. "I never thought you would give her your emblem, Serafina!"

"_Why did you think I was the one entrusted with the sword?"_ Serafina replied.

"What's an emblem?" Alison asked.

"_Let's not delve into that now. It would take too much time. Just let your new friend Sebastian inform you. Now, Little Miss, please. The sword."_ Alison reached out and gently tipped the blade down onto her hard forehead. It continued to glow, however the color changed to a deep orange and a shot of energy ran through her arm. She dropped the sword in surprise. "What was that?"

"_The emblem. Use it with caution. There is danger within the gift."_ She lifted her head to gaze out of one of the treasure room's windows. _"The wolves are searching for you. You should leave. We shall see each other again, Little Miss."_ With that, she turned and lumbered out of the room, lifting her tail so as not to knock the other two over. Alison picked up the sword and turned it in her palm. Now there was an orange streak on the hilt.

"That's it?" Carver asked irritably. "Ask Sebastian? What a rip off. Oh well, at least she didn't eat you, Right?" He floated up to the window. "They really are out there. You wanna sneak out the back?"

"Why would we do that?" Alison asked, tightening her grip on the hilt. "The answers are with them, after all."


	7. Chapter six: A Discussion in the Night

This story is based on actual items and plans for Animal Kingdom. However, the little conspiracy theory is purely fiction…as far as I know…anyway, the disclaimer. Ahem…I do not own anything by Disney, not even a stock share. I found out about these plans by researching it at many different sites, and I know every inch of the parks, but I have no real affiliation with Disney (well, until I become an Imagineer there, that is).

"So why are you here?" Alison asked Carver as they walked (or rather, he floated) through the entrance hall toward the main doors.

"I'm your guardian," Carver explained. "I was assigned to you since birth by the griffons. I actually didn't know what that meant until a couple of days ago. I mean, there I was, minding my own business, when suddenly I'm transported to this misty void where I have to stay until you come along and grab that sword."

"I can see why you were so impatient, then."

"Exactly. And now that it's over, I'm supposed to stick with you and help you however I can."

"Sounds just about as crazy as everything else here," she said as they reached the arched doorway. "Hey, if you were in a void with no contact, which friend told you to cool it when you were contacting me in my head?"

"I never said there was no contact. The griffon's told me to calm down."

"How much stuff do the griffons do here?"

"They basically run this world behind the scenes. Make sure everyone's happy, that Serafina doesn't kill anyone, that the Absalom do as little damage as we can prevent. That sort of stuff." He flew ahead and stretched his tiny arms, becoming a silhouette in the dim evening sky. "It's so good to see a sunset again!" Alison grinned. She couldn't help but be happy for him. Already there was a connection between them. Maybe it was because she could tell they had a lot in common: Trying to hide their own insecurities and pleasures with a tough, cynical exterior. Or Maybe it was because he talked like a normal person, unlike everyone else she had met. The formality and slight British accent that every single creature had in this place was a getting to be a bit annoying.

"Lady Alison!" an excited voice suddenly screamed in her ear. Before she knew it, she had been tackled to the ground by a green blur with a mop of blond hair. Sebastian beamed at her.

"Oh, Lady Alison, I knew you would help, I knew you were good at heart, some of the others didn't think you would risk your own life to help theirs, but I stood by you the whole-!"

"Please stop screaming," Alison said through clenched teeth while Carver snickered next to her.

"This kid needs to lay off the sugarcane," he whispered in Alison's ear. Sebastian got up and held out a hand.

"Forgive my outburst," he said with a grin. Alison hesitantly accepted the hand and let him pull her to her feet. "I just never thought I would actually meet the girl from the window, and now that I know it's you, I just couldn't help but to be ecstatic." He glanced at Carver, noticing him for the first time. "So this is your guardian. You know Annabella, do you not? I'm sure she will be happy to see you again." The color drained from Carver's face.

"A-A-Annabella?" he stammered. "She's…er, she's here? Now?"

"In my pocket, asleep."

"Wonderful!" he said in a relieved tone. "Let's not spoil her sleep then. That would be a horrible shame." Sebastian frowned.

"Nonsense. She's told me all about you, and she would be so upset if we didn't wake her up." It seemed that only Alison could tell Carver didn't want to see this Annabella.

"Sebastian, maybe you shouldn't-" she started, but Sebastian had already brought up the pocket in his cloak to his face and was peering inside.

"Annabella, wake up. Your old friend is here outside," he whispered into the pocket. Instantly, another miniature person flew out of the cloak. This one was a girl with chin length curly blond hair, large blue eyes, and a pink gown that poofed out in an hourglass style. She had a bracelet with the same mother-of-pearl stone on her wrist. Carver gasped and hurried to hide behind Alison's head, but Annabella had already seen him.

"ORPHEUS!" she screamed in delight, following him behind Alison's head and scooping him up in a crushing hug.

"Don't…call…me that…" Carver struggled to say as he gasped for air. "That's…not my name…anymore!"

"Don't be silly!" she squealed. "Oh, it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? I missed you! Oh, Orpheus, Orpheus, you're finally here!!!"

"Orpheus?" Alison asked him. Carver managed to push away from Annabella.

"That is not my name!" he growled. "My name is Carver. Not some sissy name like Orpheus!"

"Oh dear," Sebastian bit his lip. "This reunion isn't going very well, is it?"

"No crap." Alison replied. Annabella turned her attention toward Alison.

"So you're the one that Orpheus is working with?" she beamed and extended a tiny hand. "I'm Annabella, a water sprite. It's so great to meet you! What's your name?" Alison put out her pinky for Annabella to shake.

"Alison."

"Oh, Alison, isn't my Orphy the best?" Annabella beamed, grabbing his arm and dragging him forward. "He's just the greatest guy ever!" Carver scowled and snatched his arm away from her grasp.

"Annabella has a very enthusiastic personality," Sebastian told her.

"Yeah, just like someone else I know," Alison replied.

"Who?" He really seemed to have no idea.

"Never mind."

"Sebastian!" Radone cried as he and two other members of the pack ran up to them. "Thank goodness you have found Lady Alison. We were starting to worry-" he paused as he caught a glimpse of Alison's sword. "Lady Alison, you…you…"

"Yes, I know, I got the sword, blah blah blah. But since I got it, you all have got some explaining to do."

"I'll do it!" Sebastian cried. "I can answer anything you want, Lady Alison! Anything at all!"

"Sebastian's really smart, Alison! Like really really really smart!" Annabella said. "And while you two are having fun, Orphy and I can get reacquainted." She floated closer to him and blushed. "It has been two years, Orpheus. When are you gonna stop being so cold?"

"Towards you?" He flew up higher and away. "NEVER!"

"Orpheus, come back!" She cried, following him. Alison rolled her eyes. Sebastian, however, couldn't stop laughing.

"She really is a good guardian," he chuckled. "Just a little overzealous."

"A little?" Alison cocked an eyebrow. Radone stepped forward and glanced at the two rising sprites.

"I hope those two will be back soon," he said, turning toward Sebastian and grinning. "It would be a shame for them to miss the celebration.

"Celebration? Of what?"

"Of what else, Sebastian?" He turned his attention to the glinting blade in Alison's hand. "Something of this magnitude requires a party." Sebastian grinned and grabbed onto Alison's arm.

"Sorry, Radone. But I believe I promised the Lady a few answers before a celebration." And before Alison could react, he dragged her back through the field and into the woods. It was getting harder to see because the sun was going down, but Sebastian seemed to know where he was going. Alison kept quiet and let him lead the way, maybe because she was too tired to retaliate. It had been a long and unbelievable day, and even though she was curious about what to do next, all she wanted to do at the moment was get back into her old bed and fall asleep. Soon, they arrived at another circular clearing, with tall grass and a single tree in the center that sort of looked like an acacia.

"Shall you go first?" he asked, plopping down under the tree and patting the ground next to him.

"Sure," she said, sitting as well. "Here's one: What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I do not understand. Do with what?"

"With this thing," she frowned, banging on the sword by her side. "I can't swordfight, I have no idea how. And what is this emblem thing that the dragon gave me, huh?" He stared at her in shock.

"She gave you an emblem?" he said in disbelief.

"Yeah. It's this orange thing. What does it do? Make it pretty or something?" She held it up and stared at it. "It seems like that's all it's good for right now."

"On the contrary, Lady Alison, that is one of the most important things you could receive! And from Serafina! I thought that she was still missing from the castle when you went in!" He leaned in. "Do you mean to say you went in there and got it without her attacking you?"

"Attack me? She _gave_ the sword to me, and then sent some orange jolt through it and up my arm."

"Incredible…" he muttered. "There had to be an outside hand in this." He turned around and stared at the mountains in the distance. "You were very lucky, Lady Alison. That emblem will help our quest greatly."

"What are they, though? And our quest, what will that include?"

"No, no, no. It is my turn," he said with a grin.

"But you didn't even answer my question!"

"You took too long," he said, standing up again and sprinting over to another tree. This one had been hollowed out and was full of something that Sebastian grabbed and brought over to her: about ten books, ranging from textbook heavy to the size of an empty folder. "What do these mean?"

"All of them?" She picked one up and flipped through it. It had some rough sketches and notes in a cramped handwriting on most of the pages. "Can you read, Sebastian?"

"Yes, but many of the terms are foreign. I do not understand some of the references. Like this one." He pointed at the words "computer-controlled sound system". "I have not heard of the compooteer, and the others I recognize but do not go together logically."

"It's pronounced "Com-pu-ter"" Alison told him. "It's something from my world. It controls basically everything there."

"Like the griffons?"

"Not exactly." She studied one of the sketches. "These drawings are weird. Whoever thought of a hippo ballerina?"

"Ballerina?"

"Never mind." She brought the book closer in an effort to read the hastily scribbled handwriting. "Fantasia…?"

"I did not know that one either," he said. Alison squinted in an effort to make out more, but the sun had gone down and it was impossible to interpret the tiny words. "I can't read this until tomorrow, okay? The words are too small. It's my turn again."

"But you haven't told me anything in the book except what a compooteer is."

"You took too long," she said, too tired to correct his pronunciation. "What's an emblem?"

"A source of power," he said, walking back to his tree and taking out a small piece of parchment from the hollow. "Each creature in this world contains a bit of power that we can harness through our swords. We can only receive three emblems for our swords, so we have to choose which powers to request wisely. We also must make sure that the creatures we choose will not kill us before we have the opportunity to ask for their gifts." He handed her the parchment. "This is the information I have managed to gather so far."

_**Mermaid-underwater breathing apparatus**_

_**Giant- strength**_

_**Shadow wolves- invisibility**_

_**Shadow cats- agility/balance advancement and retractable claws**_

_**Bat-thieves- advanced senses**_

_**Griffons- Mental abilities (telekinesis, telepathy, and more)**_

_**Dragon- temperature control and Flight**_

_**Unicorn- dream infiltration**_

_**Fairies- Advanced Beauty and intelligence**_

_**Nymphs- control of elements (depending on element choice)**_

"It has been relatively difficult to collect just this," he told her. "Some creatures I asked weren't exactly ecstatic to see me. Or they were extremely excited, seeing as I would make a fine dinner."

"Why are these three crossed out?" she asked, pointing to the first three on the list. They each had a rough line going through them.

"Those are the ones that I have claimed. Emblems can only be given to one of us, or so I've heard, so I'm assuming those are off limits. And you already have the dragon's emblem, so…" he grabbed the list and an old-fashioned quill from his cloak pocket and crossed out the dragon's name.

"So I can fly?"

"Yes. And you'll be able to change the temperatures of something. But unfortunately, you have to receive all three emblems before any power extraction can take place."

"Who told you all this?"

"The griffons."

"Could have guessed that." She squinted in the darkness to read the rest of the paper. Luckily, his writing was a bit larger. "So I pick two more?"

"Yes. May I suggest the bats and cats? They would be easiest to get."

"Who said anything about easy?" she grinned. "If I'm gonna help out this crazy world, I want the cool powers."

"The two I mentioned are not "Cool"?"

"Not as cool as…" she glanced at the list, then pointed at the Unicorn and Griffon, "Those two. I want those two." Sebastian looked at her as if she had suddenly grown another head.

"Why those two?"

"Well, the griffons seem to run this place, so I would think their emblem is pretty strong, right? And the Unicorn's power seems like it would be fun. Dream infiltration? Very cool." She glanced at him. "What's so wrong about those two?"

"It would be extremely dangerous to try and claim those two emblems. The Unicorns, while peaceful enough, can only be found in the hedge maze beyond the castle. You haven't seen it yet, but it is a large and complicated journey, with many dangers."

"Like what?"

"The gargoyles try and trick you into going the wrong way, there is a sphinx and many traps, and somewhere in there a minotaur lives. You would not want to cross paths with him."

"Hey, I can handle it. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"He could cut your head off, or you could get lost forever and die of thirst, or the sphinx could rip out your intestines and feast on you while you are still alive, or-"

"Ok, too much information," she grimaced. "What about the griffons?"

"They live on a mountain range beyond the mist," he said. "Mist is impossible to cross. And even if you managed to find a way past the mist, you would have to survive the harsh weather on the mountains and find your way to the Griffon's lair without running into the Yeti."

"There's a Yeti?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, and he considers anything foreign to the mountain his enemy. So, you see, there are many other emblems that would be easier to get without having to get yourself killed." Alison sighed and closed her eyes, snuggling into the base of the tree. She just needed to rest her eyes for a minute and then she would be fine.

"Are you tired? Do you need to sleep?"

"I'm fine. So what you're saying is that it would be nearly impossible to get those two emblems?"

"Yes."

"I don't care." She rolled over on her side, away from Sebastian. "I like those. You'll learn that once I've decided something, I'm gonna do it. Besides, what's the point in getting an emblem without learning to be brave? Won't bravery help the quest or something?"

"Well, I suppose so…Lady Alison, I won't stop you from trying, and you might have made up your mind about it, but I still believe that you should reconsider."

"How about this," she said sleepily, about to drift off. "I go to the maze first, and you come with me. That way, you can be the knight in shining armor or whatever and protect me from the "danger"."

"Well…" he said doubtfully. "That could work…very well, Lady Alison, but only if I come with you. Would you like to go tomorrow or wait a little while so that I can teach you some techniques with your sword?" He waited for her answer, but none came. "Lady Alison?" he asked again. He looked over at her and saw that she was asleep, her face lit by the moonlight. He smiled and took his cloak off, putting it over her. "Very well. For now, we can rest." She stirred slightly from the cloaks presence, but did not wake up. Sebastian studied her face. It was a lot gentler now that she was asleep.

"_That must be what she looks like when not on guard…"_ he thought with a chuckle. _"She always seems so tense and guarded when she's awake…I wonder why…is that what her world has done to her? Will it do that for me as well, if I go?"_ A frightening thought came to Sebastian that he had not pondered before._ "…Will I go? Can I afford to?"_ he glanced toward the surrounding forest. _"All of this has remained so because of my protection, but…if I'm gone, what will happen to everyone? My family, will they be all right? And what if I can't survive that place? What to do…"_ He looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. _"Please, all knowing griffons, send me guidance, assurance…anything."_


End file.
